Assisted control device for an operation in a typewriter



June 6 G. GAGNEBIN ETAL 3,327,331

ASSISTED CONTROL DEVICE FOR AN OPERATION IN A TYPEWRITER Filed Oct. '4, 1965 INVENTORS 605 1444: gflC-ZNEB/N G reess Cosm BY m qw ATTORNEY United States l atent O 3,327,831 ASSISTED CONTROL DEVICE FOR AN OPERATION IN A TYPEWRITER Gustave Gagnebin and Georges Costa, Yverdon, Switzerland, assignors to Paillard S.A., Vaud, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Filed Oct. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 492,426 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Apr. 9, 1965, 5,027/ 65 1 Claim. (Cl. 197-176) The present invention has for its object an assisted control device for an operation in a typewriter.

Assisted control devices for a tabulating operation or other operation in electrical typewriters are known. These devices are complicated and costly. They operate in the following manner:

By pressing upon a tabulating key, a pawl, or a cam, mounted on a lever enters into contact with the continuously rotating control shaft. The lever effects a certain travel until the disengagement of the pawl or of the cam from the control shaft. At this point, a lock holds the lever so as to prevent it from returning to its position of rest. The disengagement of the lock is brought about by one of the stops of the tabulating rail fixed to the carriage after movement of the latter out of the tabulating travel.

This device, which is already complicated, is generally completed by a locking device for the keys of the keyboard, in order to avoid any false operation by the user which might bring about the blocking of the typewriter.

The present invention has for object the production of a simplified control device, reliable in operation.

According to the invention, the assisted control device for an operation in a typewriter, the typewriter including a continuously rotating control shaft and a control lever carrying a mechanism controlled by a key temporarily to connect said shaft and said control lever so as to bring the latter from a rest position to a working position, is characterized in that it includes a mechanism controlled by said key to maintain the said control lever in the working position so long as the key remains lowered.

The single figure of the accompanying drawing shows, diagrammatically and by way of example, one embodiment of the device object of the invention.

This device includes a key 1 carried by an element 2 and a lever 3 interconnected by a pivot 4. The lever 3 is guided laterally in a slot 5 of a support 6 integral with the frame of the typewriter. It pivots at 7 and is recalled to the rest position against a stop, not shown, by a spring 8.

The element 2 is guided at one of its ends by a pin 9 integral with the frame. Its other end drives, by a pin 10, a lever 11 rotating about a pivot 12 fixed on a support 13 integral with the frame of the typewriter.

The tabulating or control lever is constituted by two arms 14 and 15 situated in two different planes and rigidly connected by a rod 16. The arm 14, guided laterally in the slot 5 of the support 6 and pivoting about the axis 7, is recalled into the rest position against a stop, not shown, by a spring, also not shown.

On the end of the arm 14 are mounted pawls 17, 18 and 19 pivoting on axes 20 and 21 and recalled by springs 22, 23 and 24. In the position of rest, the pawl 17 abuts against a pin 25.

A locking lever 26, guided laterally in the slot 5, pivots about an axis 27 and cooperates with the lever 3 by means of a link 28 and a spring 29.

The locking lever 26 has a nose-piece 30 cooperating with a nose-piece 31 provided by the arm 14. The arm 15 is connected, at one of its ends, to a lever 32 which, by means known and not shown, controls the disengagement of the carriage, the escapement and the tabulating stop, as well as the throwing into gear of a tabulating brake.

A control shaft 33 rotating continuously and having grooves therein is adapted to cooperate with a nose-piece 34 of the pawl 17, which may be held in the rest position by a nose-piece 35 of the pawl 19, The pawl 17 may be disengaged from this rest position by the pawl 18, these two pawls cooperating to this end through nose-pieces 36 and 37. The pawl 19 is itself held out of the position in which it holds the pawl 17 by a stop 38 cooperating with the pawl 18, which is controlled by a stop 39 provided by the lever 11.

The mechanism operates in the following manner:

By pressing on the key 1, the lever 3 is made to pivot about 7, which moves the link 28 in the direction of the arrow A and, through means of the spring 29, the lever 26 is also moved in this direction. The nose-piece 30 bears on the nose-piece 31 of the arm 14. At the same time, the element 2 drives the lever 11 in the direction of the arrow B and transmits, through the stop 39, its movement to the pawl 18, then, through the stop 38, to the pawl 19.

The nose-piece 35 disengages the pawl 17 which, under the influence of the spring 22, is suddenly engaged through its nose-piece 34 in one of the grooves of the shaft 33. The tabulating arm 14 is then driven through the angle 3 and the pawl 17 disengages itself from the groove to resume its rest position, locked by the nose-piece 35, under the influence of the spring 23 which is stronger than the spring 22 and by means of the nose-pieces 36 and 37.

Nose-piece 30 assumes at this time a locked position under catch or nose-piece 31 and thus holds arm 14 in working position. Arm 15, which is integral with arm 14, transmits its movement to the lever 32 which, by means known and not shown, controls the different operations mentioned above.

As soon as key 1 is released, lever 3 pivots under the action of spring '8 and moves locking lever 26 by means of link 28. Nose-piece 30 is then separated from nosepiece 31, which enables arm 14 to return to its rest position under the action of a spring, not shown.

We claim:

In a typewriter, an assisted control device comprising a. continuously rotating control shaft, and at least one control lever, coupling means connecting said control lever to said control shaft in order to bring said lever from a rest position into a working position, a key actuating said coupling means and a locking mechanism actuated by said key to lock said control lever in its working position so long as the key remains lowered,

a key lever associated with said key, said locking mechanism including a locking lever having a nose-piece, a connecting link secured to said locking lever and said key lever, a spring attached to said locking and key levers, said control lever having a nose-piece, said nose-piece of the locking lever being adapted to cooperate with said nose-piece of said conrtol lever when it is in its locked position,

and a return spring acting on said key lever to urge it into its rest position, wherein the force exerted by said return spring on said locking lever by means of said link is greater than that exerted by said spring attached to said locking and key levers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner. E. S. BURR, Assistant Examiner. 

